Coal-loading device



April 1, 1930. J. A. ONEIL COAL LOADING DEVICE Filed Nov. 16, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Apr. 1, 1930 UNITED. STATES JAMES A. ONEIL, OF HANNA, WYOMING COAL-LOADING DEVICE Application filed. November 16, 1928. Serial No. 319,877.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for loading coal and other material onto mine cars.

In the mining of coal, as well as in the 5 mining of metalliferous ores the coal and ore is broken up by means of explosives or by some other equivalent means after which it is necessary to load the coal and ore onto mine cars by means of which it transported 10 to a hoist and raised to the surface of the ground and then dumped. It is evident that a large amount of labor is required to load the coal onto the mine cars, it this is to be done by hand, as the cars are approximately 15 four feet high and this requires all the coal to be lifted to this distance in order to deposit it in the body of the car. lNhen coal is loaded directly into the cars by the miners it is, of course, necessary to extend the mine tracks so that the cars may always be kept close to the end or" the tunnel, so as to be available for loading. This method of loading coal onto cars is very expensive and for this reason various devices have been invented to facilitate this operation.

It is the object of this invention to produce adevice by means of which mine cars may be loaded with a minimum amount of labor and which makes it possible to continue the loading of cars, even when the carsare a considerable distance away from the coal.

This invention briefly described, consists in a supporting frame work having an in clined track on which is supported a chute formed from a plurality of sections which are supported on rollers and which are reciprocated by means of a mechanism that makes them travel faster in the direction of the car than in the other direction so that the momentum imparted to the coal causes the latter to slide upwardly along the inclined chute and to finally be deposited in the mine car. These chutes are extended from time to'time so that they terminate near the end of the tunnel where the coal is being mined and as they rest on the floor, the coal can readily be deposited in the end chute after which it will move upwardly in the manner described by the action of the chute itself. The chute is reciprocated by means of a mechanism that impart-s to it a com paratively fast speed in the direction of the car and a slower speed in the opposite direction.

Having thus briefly described the invention, the same will now be described in detail and reference for this purpose will now be had to the accompanying drawings in which the preferred embodiment has been illustrated andin which:

1 is a side elevationvof the apparatus showing the same installed in a mine;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the apparatus, showing the same to a somewhat enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3.3, Fig. 2, and shows the manner of connecting the chutes;

Fig. .l is a section taken on line H, Fig. 2, and shows the manner in which chutes are supported Fig. 5 is a section takenon linebTb, Fig. 6 and shows the mechanism by means ,of which the variable reciprocating motion obtained;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on finest-.45, Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 .is a diagrammatic representation of the mechanism shownin Figslb and 6.

In the drawing numeral 1 represents the floor of the mine and 2the ceiling. While numeral 3 indicates the coal vein that isbeing mined and .4; the broken up coal that is to be loadedonto the mine car 5. Thiscar rests upon an ordinary mine track 6 which terminates a shortdistance tro ntheen'dof the tunnel. A frame-work, comprising spaced pairs of supporting posts 7, extend from the floor of the mine to the ceiling and are wedged against .the ceiling .by ,means of manner shown in Fig. 3 and are each provided with L-shaped brackets 12 whose outwardly extending portions are connected by means of a bolt 13. Each chute section is provided with two pair of arcuate tracks 14 which rest upon the wheels 15 that in turn rest upon the plank track in the manner shown in Fig. 2. The wheels comprise pairs, each pair of which is connected by means of an axle 16. When the chutes are reciprocated, the wheels roll and thus form ant-ifriction bearings that permit free movements of the chutes in the direction of their length. It is also evident that when the chute is moved away from the position shown. in Fig. 2, it will rise due to the curvature of tracks 14, so that when it is reciprocated, will also have an up and down motion.

For the purpose of reciprocating the chutes, a special mechanism has been provi'ded which will now be described. This mechanism is supported on a framework comprising beams 17 that extend between two pairs of supporting posts 7 and which have their center points supported on short posts 18. Supported on the beams 17 is a motor 19 and a mechanism which has been enclosed in a box 20 and Which comprises means for changing the rotary motion imparted to it by means of the motor into a reciprocating motion of the chute. This mechanism has been illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 in which the shaft 21 has been shown as rotatably mounted in bearings 22 and. provided on its outer end with a gear wheel that cooperates with the silent gear chain 24 by means of which it is connected to the gear 25 on the drive shaft 26 of the motor. Located within the casing 20 is a pinion 27 that is fastened to the shaft 21. This meshes with a gear 28 carried by a shaft 29 that is rotatably mounted in bearings 30. Pinion 31 is secured to the shaft 29 so as to rotate therewith. Rotatably secured to shaft 29 on each side of pinion 31 are links 32. These links are provided with enlarged openings 33 that receive the circular hub portions 34 of the gear 35. Rings 36 are secured to the gear by means of screws 37 and extend over the links in the manner shown in Fig. 5 so as to secure the links and the gear wheel 35 together. Gear wheel 35 is in mesh with gear 31 and since the hubs 34 are concentric with the pitch circle of this gear, it is evident that gear 31 and gear 35 are always properly spaced. A shaft 38 extends through an opening in gear 35. The center of the opening through which the shaft 38 extends is eccentric with respect to the pitch circle of gear 35, in the manner shown in Fig. 6. This shaft is rotatably mounted in bearings 39 that are slidable in the slots 40 of the casing 20. Secured to the outer ends of shaft 38 are crank arms 41., which have been shown as extending through openings in the ends of shaft 38 and held in place by means of set screw 42, but which are preferably formed integral with the shaft or connected to the latter in a more substantial manner as the connection shown in the draw ing is merely illustrative.

Let us now assume that shaft 21 is rotated through the action of the motor 19 in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 6. This will impart corresponding rotation to shaft 39 and gears 28 and 31 and gear 31 will in turn rotate gear 35. The center of gear 35 which has been indicated by reference numeral 43 in Fig. 6 will oscillate along an arc whose center is the center of shaft 29. And shaft 38 will reciprocate in slot 40 a distance substantially equal to twice the distance from the center point 43 to the center of shaft 38. hen the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 6, the distance from the center of shaft 38 to the center of shaft 29 is the greatest, and therefore at this position, the rotation of the gear 35 through a predetermined arc will impartthe minimum rotation to shaft 38. The position shown in 6 corresponds to position a in Fig. 7. When the center of shaft 38 has moved to the position shown in c Fig. 7, it is nearest to the center of shaft 29 and at this point a given rotation of gear 35 will impart the maximum rotation to shaft 38. It is therefore evident that if shaft 21 is rotated at a uniform speed, shaft 38 will be rotated with a variable speed. It will, at the same time, be rcciprocated. By properly positioning the -rank arms 41 so that they will rotate in the direction in which the shaft 38 reciprocates and so that the ends of the crank arms will move towards shaft 29, when shaft 38 is mov ing in the same direction, it is possible to obtain a large variation in the speed of the connecting rods 13 which extend from the ends of the crank arms to the pins 44; that are secured to the chutes. This mechanism will therefore impart to the chute a greater velocity when it moves upwardly than when it moves downwardly. The high velocity imparted to the coal when the chute moves up wardly, results in a momentum that carries the coal forwardly along the chute for a considerable distance when the chute is brought to a stop, and in this manner the coal con.- tinues to move upwardly and is finally deposited in the mine car. I want to call particular attention to the fact that with the construction shown here the chute does not stop suddenly as it would if it struck a stationary stop member, but is brought to a gradual stop through the action of the crank arms and the connecting rods. This relieves the parts from the excessive strains to which they would be subjected if the chutes were to abut against a stationary stop, and therefore the machine will last longer with this arrangement than with the other. As the length of the tunnel increases, additional chute sections may be added so that the distance to whch the coal must be carried by the workmen in depositing it on the chute can always be maintained at a minimum. The stroke of the mechanism does not need to be more than six or seven inches and owin to the differential reciprocation, it is possib e to move coal upwardly along an incline greater than 1 in 10, although this has been found to be a satisfactory inclination for the chute.

I want to call particular attention to the construction whereby I attain a greater speed of the chute when moving in an upward direction than when it moves in a downward direction, as by this variation in speed in the two opposite directions, it is possible to obtain a movement of the coal without resorting to sudden stoppage of the chutes, as would be necessary if such differential speed was not obtained.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A device for changing uniform rotary motion into variable reciprocating motion which comprises, in combination, a housing having two opposed sides, a shaft extending transversely through the housing near one end thereof, said shaft being mounted for rotation about its axis, a gear carried by the shaft, the housing being provided with opposed parallel slots (40) a bearing slidably mounted in each slot, a shaft rotatably mounted in the bearings, a gear wheel nonrotatably mounted on the shaft in eccentric relation therewith, said gear having a concentric hub on each side, the diameter of said hubs being greater than twice the distance from the center of the gear wheel to the center of the shaft about which it rotates, plus the diameter of the shaft, a link connecting each hub with the first mentioned shaft for holding the two gears in mesh, and a crank secured to the outer end of the second shaft.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES A. ONEIL. 

